Merge Images in PowerPoint – like Photoshop

Learn to merge two images with PowerPoint to create a Photoshop effect. Use the technique to create attractive title slides for your business presentations.

Here is the result of merging two images in PowerPoint:

We definitely didn’t use Photoshop to achieve the result. In this article, we will show you how to create the same effect by combing any two pictures in PowerPoint.

Trick behind the merge:

The trick behind the merging of images is – increasing the transparency levels of one of the images and placing it on top of another image. Though PowerPoint doesn’t allow you to increase the transparency levels of pictures, we will create a simple workaround to achieve the result. Let us go through the process in a step by step way.

Insert a picture in PowerPoint:

This will be the base image on which we will place the second picture with the effect. Draw a rectangle on top of the image to cover the entire image end to end:

Select the image and go to ‘Shape Fill’ option. Choose ‘Fill picture’ option in the drop down menu. Select the image you want to superimpose on the first image.

Remove the outline. Right click on the new image and go to Format shape. In Fill option select Transparency. Increase the transparency level till you can see the underlying image. When you are happy with the result, you are done.

Here is a variation of the image:

You can use this effect to create a PowerPoint concept by combining relevant images. Take a look at the following merged diagram for example:

The technique is also useful to add textures to images. Here is an example of handmade paper texture effect. You can use the image as background for your slides:

You can also use the inbuilt texture fill options under Fill Shape tab to create new effects. See this crumpled photo effect created using a texture fill:

So, even though you can’t increase transparency of pictures in PowerPoint, you can work around by drawing a shape and filling the shape with picture. Since you can change the transparency levels of ‘shape fill’ you can achieve the result you want.

Smarter option for busy presenters:

The technique you learned in this article will help you make better title slides. However, if you are a busy business presenter, you may not have the time to play around with various options of PowerPoint to create interesting title slides.

That is why we came up with our readymade PowerPoint title sets for business presentations. Here are some sample title slides from the set: